A Poem titled ‘Wood Thrush’

From a Selection of Ancient Chinese Poems by my Grandfather, Tien Chen

Wood Thrush by Ouyang Xiu written in the Song Dynasty – 《画眉鸟》宋 , 欧阳修

百啭千声随意移，

Hundreds of thousands of voices move at will,

山花红紫树高低。

Mountain flowers red and purple, trees high and low,

始知锁向金笼听，

Listening to the sounds by the golden cages,

不及林间自在啼。

Cannot be compared to the cries of freedom heard above the forests.

This poem compares the fates between uncaged and caged wood thrushes. The uncaged wood thrushes are able to sing freely in flight across mountains and forests yet the caged wood thrushes are restrained. Relating the poem to people, through the comparison of the fates, one is led to ask if we lose our personal freedom, how much meaning do we have in life even if we are rich in terms of having lots of money, clothes and food?

Here is one of my grandad’s paintings of birds flying across mountains and forests in China. From looking at the painting, I immediately could imagine the gushing sounds of the waterfalls, the leaves of the pine trees gently blowing in the wind, the songful chirps of birds swooping across the clouds and the sensation of eternal peace.